


Knowing Your Options

by blueviolets



Category: Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Spoilers, Spoilers for P5/P5R Ending, shuake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25703089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueviolets/pseuds/blueviolets
Summary: “Why not join me instead? All you’d have to do is abandon the teammates you have now.”But if you had the option, wouldn’t you select yes?[An AU where Joker could accept Akechi's offer.]
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 7
Kudos: 129





	Knowing Your Options

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jianbird](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jianbird/gifts).



> This is a short fic for my friend Michie's birthday!! She's been craving shuake and I've been wanting to write it, so I hope you all (especially michie) enjoy it!!

“Why not join me instead? All you’d have to do is abandon the teammates you have now.”

Akechi said it so easily as if he was asking me to hang out after school the next day, but his bright eyes glow with a fire that Akira knows it only shows how serious the detective was about his question. He can’t tell what stops first, his heart or time itself, after his question ended. 

Akira knows what his options are. He knows where everything will lead, his plans and Akechi’s. It’s only a few more days until the Phantom Thieves are planning to steal Sae’s heart, and a few more days until the detective will betray them. Everything is set in stone, almost as if no matter what his feelings are. He needs to do what’s right for everyone, and that’s tricking Akechi into thinking he will kill the thief. 

_But if you had the option, wouldn’t you select yes?_

He internally sighs, knowing what the answer is. Akira can’t help but be in love with his rival, even when he knows the other _hates_ him. There’s so many things he knows, but saying yes to Akechi is the only thing he’s unsure about. The only unknown. It raises so many questions in his mind..

_Would Akechi laugh it off and say it was a joke?_

_Would Akechi betray you anyway, even if you left everything for him?_

_Would everyone understand?_

_Would Akechi truly understand why I said yes?_

It was becoming unbearable; the thoughts in his brain bubbling and fighting against his skull, giving him a pounding headache. He couldn’t stand here forever either, he _knows_ that. Almost as if his time had run out, the bubbles finally pop and his mind is clear of any doubt as his voice speaks up.

“How about it?"

“Yes.”

Akechi laughs, and it’s so light and freeing that Akira’s caught off guard.

“Of course, you would need time to think over- Wait, _what?_ ”

The detective’s carefree expression lasts only a second before he mimics Akira’s shock. 

“I said I’ll join you. I hope I’ll be in good hands being by your side, Akechi.” He gives the older boy a genuine smile as he turns to walk forward, until he’s suddenly stopped in his tracks by a hand on his wrist.

“Stop messing with me. You’re their leader, you’re willing to leave them like this?”

“The Thieves will disband after we’re done with Sae’s palace, right? After that, I’m all yours.”

“How am I supposed to trust that?”

It takes a moment for Akira to turn around and face Akechi again, but when he does, he sees something he’s not expecting. The detective’s face is flushed as his heavy breathing becomes visible in the cold, crisp air. His eyes are lost despite connecting with Akira’s, and he barely knows how to react seeing how _desperate_ Akechi looks knowing that someone might not leave him for once. 

Akira’s voice is small and quiet, barely audible in the busy city streets.

“You’ll have to try.” 

——

Akira’s eyes flutter open as he lays on his back, already out of breath as if he ran a marathon. He’s slow in sitting up from his bed - Well, apparently not _his_ bed. He notices he’s somewhere he doesn’t recognize, and his guard goes up immediately as Akira replays his memories back in his mind.

Everything had gone according to plan, the Phantom Thieves plan at least. They continued with capturing Sae’s treasure, and then they were caught. It was only Akira, but that was expected. That’s when the rest of his thoughts became blurry; conversations with Sae while he was in custody, replaying everything that led him here..

_Akechi._

Their agreement comes to mind as the fog in his mind starts to fade away. _Did he actually go along with the plan we made..?_

“Seems like you’re finally awake. I was wondering how long you would be snoring in bed.”

He turns his head to the sound of the voice, staring at the detective as he leans against the doorframe with a mug in his hand. Akechi walks towards the bed and sits on the edge, placing the mug on the bedside table. Akira could see the heat rising from the cup, the scent of vanilla filling the air.

“I made coffee, although it’s not quite the same as Leblanc.. You will have to make the coffee from now on.”

Akira takes the mug in his hands, sighing quietly as the warmth soothes him. “.. This is your place, right? You’re not going to shoot me in the head here instead, I hope.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at his own joke, hoping his comment could ease the tension in his mind. Akira _does_ trust the brunette, despite everything that’s happened. He wouldn’t have agreed to being his new partner in crime if that wasn’t the case. It didn’t help that sometimes it was too hard to tell if what he feels is trust or love, and it was too late at this point to hope it’s a mixture of both.

Akechi’s expression hadn’t changed at all in the past few minutes; the only difference is the slow inhale he takes after Akira’s comment. He stands from the bed to grab Akira’s school bag and tosses it where his seat was. 

“Your friends have been blowing up your phone since the news came out that you’re ‘dead’. I would suggest keeping physical contact with them at a minimum until all of this is over.” 

“I thought I was supposed to drop my friends completely, to be by your side.” Akira smirks as he picks his phone from the bag. The notifications light up as soon as the phone is in his grasp, messages from almost everyone he knows. 

“Unless this is your way of showing that you’re jealous.” Akira’s comment makes the detective jump where he stands, their eyes meeting as he snaps his head in the other’s direction. He could’ve sworn that there’s a faint blush on Akechi’s cheeks, but he doesn’t get a good chance to observe it before the older boy turns away again.

“Tch- Jealous of you? Please.. I’m the one who won in the end. The Phantom Thieves have now disbanded and I’m deemed a hero, meanwhile we get to destroy Shido in the background-“

“ _Steal his heart._ We’re not killing him.” Akira specifies, gaining a groan from the detective. “He needs to be alive to confess what he’s done, and we need to do this before he’s elected.”

“When I asked you to join me, I didn’t expect to be lectured and ordered around like a subordinate.” Akechi mumbles as he drags a chair closer to the bed, taking a seat with a scowl. “I swear, if this is some elaborate plan to make a fool out of me-“

“It’s not. We’re doing this together, just the two of us.” Akira stares at him with confidence, despite his hidden fists trembling slightly. He loves and cares for his friends - but he loves and cares for Akechi so much that his heart hurts thinking about what could have happened if he decided to go against Shido alone. How much pain he’s been bearing on his own, the illegitimate son of a politician who could have easily erased Akechi’s existence whenever and however he pleased. The thought _breaks_ and reassembles his heart every time he thinks of the idea that he could have died and Akira was helpless in saving him.

Akechi looks back at him with wide eyes, his breath uneven and shaky. The silence between the two feels like it goes on forever, their eyes locked onto each other without wavering. Then almost in an instant, he’s hovering over Akira, hand gripping the headboard as he cages the other boy in with his arms.

“ _Why_ are you like this? You have everything you could ever want, and yet every time you choose me? How stupid do you have to be to give up everything for a _nobody_?”

Akira’s breathless, because he doesn’t know. But at the same time he does. He understands Akechi, he’s seen behind the mask he wears around in the public eye. How could Akira explain the months of yearning for the detective while at the same time, knowing in the back of his mind that Akechi is against him? He could only hope that the other felt the same, and deciding to join him strengthens the trust between them. 

And maybe someday, he’ll be given the option to express his feelings instead of a vague dialogue response. Thankfully _or_ unfortunately, that day is already here.

“You mean something to me, Goro Akechi. If we’re together, then that’s everything to me. This is what I want.”

“God, you’re the stupidest person I’ve ever met..”

It was only a simple statement from each of them, but behind them gave a complex understanding for the other. A confession followed by acceptance. So when Akechi leans closer to his lips, Akira takes that acceptance and connects.

——

Akira watches his partner’s back as they hide in the shadows, spying on a few Shadows down below. They weren’t exactly the pair that should be seen together in Shido’s palace, but thankfully Akechi has already made laps around this boat in the few years he’s had his Persona. His eyes are glued to the detective as he observes the area, only turning back to Akira once the Shadows are gone.

It was difficult to see Akechi with his new outfit - it technically _isn’t_ new, but it’s definitely new to Akira. His true appearance, the Black Mask that Joker has been warned about for months. He’s probably the only one who’s seen Akechi in this form, and it makes his heart skip a beat thinking about the amount of trust it took to get here.

“We can easily avoid the Shadows and gain intel in regards to your friends, although I have all of that information in my apartment.. We’ll take the next few days to determine an effective escape route and figure out how to send your calling card after.”

Akira smiles while his partner talks, his expression unchanging even as Akechi glares. 

“Do you really need to look at me like that while we’re on a mission? This is serious-“

“I’m aware how serious this is,” Akira quickly cuts in. “I can’t exactly help it, you know.”

“I know, I know.. Just stay focused, alright? We can handle these Shadows just the two of us, but not if you’re distracted.”

“I’m always distracted when I’m around you.”

“Stop flirting!” Akechi smacks the laughing thief’s arm, but more in embarrassment than annoyance. The past few weeks of planning this heist has given Akira a lot of insight on what flusters the detective and what _actually_ annoys him.

“I can flirt and fight, but I promise I’ll save it for when we get home.”

“Good.” The brunette huffs as he observes the area again, giving Akira a glance. “You get _one_ last moment before we continue our mission.”

Joker grins as his fingers lift Akechi’s mask and his own, leaning in to give him a gentle kiss on the lips. When he pulls back, Akechi’s pink cheeks are on full display. He doesn’t bother to hide it as he adjusts his mask, with Akira doing the same. 

“Come on, partner. Let’s go get this over with so we can go home.” 

**Author's Note:**

> hi if you wanna follow my twitter (@bluvioleta) that'd be cool


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